JOHANNESBURG - Belts are tight enough and there is no breathing space, due to the high cost of living.
And still, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana did not adjust the salary brackets for inflation.
He increased the fuel levy, which will push up inflation.
Next month, petrol goes up by 16 cents a litre and diesel by 15 cents. This is the first fuel levy increase in three years.
Godongwana said this alone would not close the fiscal gap over the medium term.
Consumer financial education specialist at Momentum Group Salem Nyati says there simply is no breathing space for South Africans.
She says when you look at the ratio of the actual household debt verses disposable income it adds to 62%
According to Nyati this means that for every R2000 that the household earns R600 goes towards servicing debt.
At that point the household has not eaten nor have they bought electricity or transport, she says.
"That already paints a picture of over indebtedness in South Africa. That then means that even the slightest increase anywhere makes it a difficult pinch," Nyati says.